Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are some recipes that every cook or baker absolutely must have in their repertoire. They should be knock-your-socks-off good every time. For me, a perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe is right at the top of this list. There is much discussion throughout the interwebs about what makes the best chocolate chip cookie. It seems there are as many variations as there are people baking them. Some recommend browning the butter, some require chilling the dough for a full day, some use chocolate chunks instead of chips. Some are obscenely huge, some are thin and crisp. I have found that while all of those are great, I still prefer this version. It is incredibly simple with no special ingredients or secret methods. It’s exactly what this classic cookie should be – simple, straightforward, accessible enough that they can be whipped up at a moment’s notice and easy enough that kids can make them. Though I love many cookies, none will ever top these thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies for me. They are my ultimate comfort food. While these are very best fresh from the oven, we almost never bake the full batch of dough at one time. (Willpower problems, you know.) The dough freezes very well so we always make the full batch, shape them into balls as instructed, and then freeze the dough balls. The frozen dough balls can then be baked straight from the freezer simply by adding a few minutes onto the baking time. These are essential to have on hand for cookie emergencies (i.e. bad days) and also come in very handy if you have unexpected company. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cups plus 2 tbsp. (10 5/8 oz.) all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

12 tbsp. (¾ cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm

1 cup (7 oz.) packed brown sugar

½ cup (3½ oz.) granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside. With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

03

Roll a scant half-cup of dough into a ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves.* Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (approximately 14-16 minutes). Do not overbake.

04

Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

05

*Note: At this point, the dough balls can be frozen. Freeze first on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or other storage container. To bake, place frozen dough balls on lined baking sheets and bake as directed above, adding a few minutes to the baking time (exact time will vary, just keep a watchful eye.)